Polished concrete flooring has grown in popularity, competing with vinyl composition tile (VCT) floors in many new and existing commercial facilities.
Durability is important along with reduced construction costs, lower environmental impact and the ease of maintenance are just a few reasons why Polished Concrete flooring is quickly becoming the preferred choice of many retailers, architects and engineers.
As polished concrete continues to grow as a favored flooring material, there is an increased to fully understand the daily maintenance needs required for the application.
Over the years, polished concrete has been sold as a “maintenance free” flooring system. Industry experts say that is a common misnomer, however.
“Too often, we run into people who believe that once the concrete floor has been installed, it maintains itself,. Like most other hard floor surfaces, concrete maintenance requires a specialized approach that takes several factors into consideration — otherwise, it can fail.”
A series of grinding and polishing steps are used to initially create a high-gloss polished concrete floor. A coarse grinding tool, such as a diamond disk, is used to either wet or dry grind the concrete. Then a series of progressively less abrasive diamond pads grind and polish the floor until the desired level of gloss is attained. Facilities can choose the level of sheen — from satin to high-gloss — that meets their maintenance and aesthetic requirements. This process includes several levels of grinding, application of densifiers and sealers, burnishing and buffing. A licensed concrete contractor with specialized equipment and tools typically performs this initial process.
Cleaning professionals can easily perform routine maintenance using readily available floor care products like those available atConcrete Rentals.com in Orange County.
Daily routine maintenance for polished concrete floors includes daily dust mopping to remove dirt and grime that can scratch the surface of the polished concrete Subsequent damp mopping or auto scrubbing with a neutral cleaner also is necessary on a regular bases.
Concrete Rentals .com can recommend cleaners for your polished concrete, since a cleaner that is too acidic or too alkaline will deteriorate the concrete and dull the shine of the floor. A neutral floor cleaner will also help in suspending dirt particles so they can be easily removed.
The correct type of floor pad is required to prevent concrete surface damage. Diamond-impregnated pads will mechanically maintain the floor’s polish. These pads are made of synthetic or natural hair fibers and are sprayed with diamond powders, secondary abrasives and epoxy binders. These pads come in a variety of shapes and sizes to fit all models of floor buffers, burnishers and autoscrubbers. Depending on the specifications of the pads, they can be used either wet or dry.
Regular buffing using a diamond infused pad will extend the life of the floor.